[youtube]?&v=Uvt_IcJwlZU[/youtube]

Top shelf shit! Didn't realise it was an own goal.

Great save by Symes on debut @ the 10:50 mark.

-PB

Great win by the fury over the leaders olympic 6 - 3, with edds scoring 4 goals..great effort by a team so young...

Strikers Outgun Navy In Friendly

Brisbane Strikers warmed up for a tense final month of NPL Queensland fixtures on Monday night with a resounding 17-0 win against a select side from docked aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Perry Park.

The Strikers defeated the side representing Carrier Air Wing Five – one of two teams on the more than 6000 crew vessel – before a small but enthusiastic crowd of local football fans as well as visiting US service personnel.

While Strikers proved a cut above their part-time opponents – taking a 9-0 lead into the half time break – the match remained a friendly in the truest sense of the word as Strikers supporters barracked for the Navy underdogs.

Strikers coach David Large took the opportunity to tinker with his formation, testing his players in unfamiliar positions as well as giving a cameo to assistant coach Graham Harvey, who repaid his mentor with a second-half goal.

American import Kyle Luetkehans scored three goals for Strikers in the friendly hit-out, including the opener in the first minute of the match. He admitted the run would serve him well as he looks to adjust to football in Australia and the NPL.

“I joined the Strikers squad four weeks ago, played ninety minutes and also subbed in for a couple of games,” the Chicago-raised 24-year-old explained.

“I’ve been in fitness – and played a few days before leaving Finland – but it’s just a little different here with the weather and with the speed. It’s just attack, attack, attack,” the midfielder enthused.

Luetkehans played college football with the University of Vermont in the States before playing professionally in Finland for two seasons prior to joining Strikers.

Luetkehans said he would be better for the hit-out: “It was awesome having the guys here and, granted they probably haven’t had too much practice on the boat; but it was just great to be out there playing and a lot of our guys got on the score sheet too – so we spread it around a little bit.”

Luetkehans’ Strikers teammate Tim Walsh, 25, also hails from Chicago and came through the US college system at University of Tampa before stints in Brazil and Switzerland.

Walsh won last year’s Brisbane Premier League title with Wynnum Wolves before the defender joined Strikers for the inaugural NPL Queensland campaign.

Both Americans admitted the irony wasn’t lost on either that they had travelled across the globe to find themselves playing against a team of their own countrymen.

Walsh said, “It was cool to have them here and just the fact we’re playing against them in Australia of all places. If it was back home I don’t know if it would’ve been as special, but it was really cool tonight.”

“It’s one of the beauties of soccer, or football, is that it brings everyone from all over the world together,” he continued. “The Navy guys were happy and surprised to see us out here too. It’s a small world and it’s always good to play against different opposition.”

Luetkehans seconded the sentiment: “I never could’ve predicted this – coming to Australia, playing a team of Americans while I was on the Australian side.”

“It was really cool and I have to thank the Navy guys for coming out – it was a blast.”

The third-placed Strikers continue their National Premier Leagues campaign at Perry Park this Saturday against Palm Beach Sharks. Kick-off is at 7:00pm, with the Under 20's playing the curtain raiser from 4:30pm.

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-9385-0-0-0&sID=269940&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=24797048

Round 19 Highlights;

[youtube]lkpQjcjmlHE[/youtube]

Fury stuff starts round 8:35, was raining goals in that game, Eddsy is a legend.

-PB

Over 3,600 people came to see the Roar take on Brisbane City last night which proved to be quite a chilly wednesday evening. Great effort IMO. Brisbane Roar is certainly making fantastic progress with the local grass roots football community. The Roar won 3-0. It was great to see Spencer Park full to capacity, just like old times.

Perhaps we'll see similar scenes at Perry Park next Wednesday night when the Strikers host the Roar.

I am loving the NPL.

Is leaps and bounds ahead of what the QSL was doing.

So keen to have the NPL Champions League (and by extension the FFA Cup) once the other states come into line.

-PB

Totally agree.

Who played well for the Roar?

How's the profit/loss for the competition going?

Congrats Olympic, well deserved.

Heres hoping the divide between the classical Brisbane powerhouses and the regional teams gets smaller and smaller in coming seasons.

-PB

Northern furys last home game great effort from the fury unfortunately a loss to city.Cant wait for the next season to start.

Heavy hands = empty stands

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-9385-0-0-0&sID=269940&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=25050430

A reply to Antony Stewarts article in the Townsville Bulletin


Dear “Stewie”,

Your attack on F Troop (17/08) was unfair. It presented a disproportionate and highly debatable response to events. F Troop is a strident supporter of the Northern Fury. We stand behind the families and volunteers who are the foundations of the club. We are an independent, informal affiliation of supporters who love football. We are concerned that you have misrepresented us, and a number of other issues.

The catalyst for your piece was two recent flare incidents. One occurred at a sparsely attended match, on a cold night 1200km from Townsville. The second occurred at Townsville’s Sports Reserve. Apparently, you were not present on either occasion, so let’s set a few things straight.

In a dark period for semi-professional football in NQ, when few people were interested, F Troop remained a strong supporter of football in Townsville. In recent years, while the media and most of the football community in Townsville were uninterested in the former Razorbacks and then the Fury, F Troop members traveled throughout QLD supporting these clubs. The group has invested finance, time and effort in making flags, banners, scarves and shirts, and attempted to stimulate greater interest. Despite all the negativity and reasons to walk away, some continue to support the growth of football in Townsville.

It’s deeply concerning that you appear to have claimed exclusive rights to the support of the Northern Fury and dictated how that support should be expressed, while implying the F Troop are a negative force. The F Troop have never been involved in a violent incident, our songs and chants rarely contain offensive language - no more so than what one might be subjected to on the “hill” at the Cowboys, or in any other adult environment - and the use of flares has been rare.

It is incorrect to state that families choked on flare smoke at Fury games, and were unable to see the match. This is a hysterical description of the flare incidents, which at most, after dispersing within 60 seconds had no physical consequences, and did not disrupt other fans or leave any permanent effect.

You implied that, because you twice went to England and attended a handful of matches, you are in a position to speak with authority on the subject of football supporter culture.

You are incorrect to imply that foul language is not common in English stands. You cite Liverpool as an example. Youtube contains hundreds of videos of Liverpool fans singing and chanting – much of it laced with profanity. While we are certainly not advocating profanity, we are refuting your claim that it is uncommon at adult football matches.

You are correct that flares are rare in England, but they do occur, and football is played in over 190 countries. Some of our members have spent years living and working in Europe and South America - playing, coaching and attending football on a weekly basis.

Flares are central to supporter culture in continental Europe, North Africa, Central and South America and parts of Asia and are used to create a visual spectacular and enhance the atmosphere.

Football in Australia has been developed, coached, supported and played by people from many nations. The vast majority of Australia’s greatest players and most successful clubs are strongly linked to non-English backgrounds. England is not the only source of inspiration for players and fans. So, no matter your position on flares, the fact remains they are a considerable part of supporter expression on a global scale.

You linked the use of flares to the disestablishment of the National Soccer League. You stated that flares were “one of the reasons” the NSL was disbanded. This is absolutely untrue and is an absurd misrepresentation of history. One of the contributors to this letter attended the NSL for fifteen years. Our knowledge of football in Australia is intimate. To this date, the NSL and some of its richly historical clubs produced Australia’s finest crop of international players. The NSL assisted the development of the game far more positively than is occasionally depicted by ill-informed commentators. Your incorrect assertion regarding flares only serves to falsify history and diminish the legacy of this period.

Football has suffered from poor administration in Townsville for decades – interspersed with admirable contributions from various individuals and families. Northern Fury is still in the early stages of development and many challenges lay between it and an A League rebirth. The Fury is in a delicate position and there are interesting, perhaps controversial, things occurring in relation to the administration of that football club. Perhaps your time, as a credible journalist, could be better spent pursuing these stories and canvassing the diverse views from players, coaches, administrators and volunteers by casting independent scrutiny over some of the club’s practices, as opposed to disproportionately targeting a minority and stoking hysteria based upon false information.

Regards - F Troop

Totally agree with all you said


But especially this, problems are hidden in plain sight.poor administration=d> =d> =d>

My blog post regarding the recent interest in an Ipswich A-League bid.

http://t.co/UnvyP7tDRd

The NPL has been fantastic. But what do all the young quality players do now No games for months, this is unacceptable.

got any tips for the finals

R u handing back the licence ?

Heard the same rumour.

LOL!

=d> \:d/

-PB

Fairplay :-#

Redlands too many injuries all season long

As for handing back licence not to my knowledge

NPL Queensland Grand Final Teams Decided 1st Grade Olympic versus Brisbane City, Under 20's Brisbane City v South West Thunder,18's Brisbane City v QAS. Great season Brisbane city who weren't rate at the start of season but have all 3 grades in the Grand final.

Massive game. Wish it was being streamed ala Heat style.

Also talks of NPLQ expanding/contracting teams next season?

SWQ Thunder coming in at Toowoomba, maybe Redlands leaving?

-PB

Just posted a match day review for the Olympic vs Brisbane City GF from last Sunday. http://matchdayburger.com/2013/09/13/classic-euro-cookout-throws-heavy-smoke-over-goodwin-park-protein-demand-savages-supply/

Cheers.

How does QLD NPL fund travel costs, are they a lot?

They take donations from all the kids in qld to pay for the seniors to travel for games. The donations are called registration fees.

Assuming you agree with the NPL how would you fund it?

Just trying to work out the costs involved, and what it would be like if we had a national 2nd tier, other state competitions seem to be scared of the travel costs for regional teams, but QLD seem to do it fine.

I dont agree with the NPL qld version its implementation in seq is morally and commercially bankrupt.